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Melanie Rutherford

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This album feels like a continuation into Royce’s life that he started on “Layers”. Full of emotions, stories and clever rhymes, this is a masterpiece of music.

The production is amazing. There is a lot of different beats on offer and all help add up to a cohesive listen. There are some missteps where some songs try to cater for specific times and/or places like the club, but it is not like they do not fit the message of the track still.

The lyricism is fantastic as Royce continues to flaunt his incredible ability. The wordplay is smart and adds a level of detail to the anecdotes and helps expand the messages of the songs to bigger proportions. There are no complaints about Royce’s performance on this project as it is this ability that has allowed him to continue despite a few problems earlier in his career.

The features are great and show how a combination of A-List and lesser known artists can come together and create great tracks. Each does astonishing work showing their own skills as well as building upon the work Royce has already put down. There is also a good blend of singing to rapping to help give an extra edge to the project.

Overall, this release is the project that Royce needed to capitalise off the momentum gained from his last releases. Including his work as various duos and groups, this is the peak of his rap career so far and it looks like he is only getting started.

This album shows a lot of different ways to look at Royce Da 5’9 as an artist as well as a man. His clear ability as a lyricist as well as his story telling makes a great listen.

The production is fantastic as it is more background than trying to overpower the vocals. There are many different flavours throughout the tracks which helps give the right atmosphere for the message Royce is giving out. Maybe some more aggression would make a more balanced album but there is a great level of continuity as the album progresses.

The lyricism is incredible. Royce uses his unique flow and incredible ability to weave complex lyrical techniques into his stories to really make them stand out with detail. There is not a lot that can be improved on here as Royce has proved himself a veteran word smith with great verses for many years now.

The features are good and help show that others relate to his stories. Each puts in good effort to make their verses as good as Royce and to add to the listening experience. There is a fair balance of guests who sing and rap, but it is possible that some more interesting combinations with people further from the rap genre.

Overall, this is a great selection of songs to listen to. The skits can become tiresome after a few listens but these can mostly be lifted out as they are individual tracks. Royce might not have crafted a perfect classic, but it is definitely headed in that direction.